OLYMPICS LONDON 2012: Excellent Evans settles for silver

By Sean-Paul Doran, Sportsbeat, London 2012

GREAT Britain's Fred Evans admitted he was beaten by the better man after falling to defeat in the London 2012 welterweight final.

The 21-year-old from Cardiff suffered a 17-9 defeat against the impressive Serik Sapiyev of Kazakhstan, after he had defeated number one seed and current world champion Taras Shelestyuk in the semi-final.

And Evans, who became Wales' most successful Olympic boxer with his silver medal, believes his appearance in the final against number two seed Sapiyev may have been a bridge too far.

PROUD: Fred Evans paid tribute to opponent Serikl Sapiyev after he won silver in the welterweight division

"I've no excuses, he was a bit sharper on the day. I didn't stick to my plan quite as well as I should have but he had a good game plan and he came out on top," said the European champion.

"I've beaten the world champion, I've had four hard fights and that was my fifth,"

It was Sapiyev who got off to the brighter start, outscoring Evans 4-2 in the first round before extending his lead to 10-5 going into the final round.

And the deficit proved too much for Evans to overturn as the impressive Sapiyev secured the 17-9 victory in style.

But Evans refused to be downhearted with the defeat as he reflected on a memorable Olympic campaign for Team GB's boxers.

He said: "I'm only 21 so I'm one of the youngest seniors here. I've done well and I'm over the moon to reach the final."

© Sportsbeat 2012